Circumstances of Disappearance Goettsch disappeared from Abilene, Texas on March 31, 1981. He was last seen in front of his residence.

Goettsch was in the process of renting an apartment. He drove his battered pickup truck to the apartment complex, parked in the tenant's lot and gave the manager a $350 check. He planned to move his possessions, all of which fit into the truck, later that day. He never did. He abandoned his vehicle and all of his belongings.

Goettsch finished three years of active duty with the U.S. Army in 1980. He had received a $3,000 workers' compensation payment in early 1981, for an injury sustained in the oil fields around Abilene, Texas.
Goettsch's relatives did not call police for about 2 months after his disappearance. He did not touch his bank account with $1,079 or have contact with his Australian girlfriend.
About six months earlier Goettsch and his passenger Roney Harper were stopped for driving a pickup truck erratically, marijuana was found.

Near 10 months after Goettsch's disappearance, a tip was received from an anonymous caller stating Roney Harper and another man allegedly had committed the murder and disposed of the body near a local lake. A drug deal gone bad.
Roney Harper placed a call to sheriff 's deputies in rural Walker County, Ga. Obviously drunk, the man confessed to murdering Goettsch in Abilene. His motive was that he thought Goettsch was an undercover narcotics agent. He said he shot he shot Goettsch four times, then kicked him repeatedly. He returned a remote, undeveloped field, the murder scene, but Harper either could not or would not locate the remains.
Roney Harper later recanted.

Investigators If you have any information concerning Goettsch's whereabouts, please contact: Abilene Police Department
915-676-6640 Email
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Number: 89009108

NCIC Number: M-070409717 Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.